Malmö University Publications
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Neighbourhood disorder and worry about criminal victimization in the neighbourhood
Malmö högskola, Faculty of Health and Society (HS).ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5375-0065
Department of Criminology and Criminal Law, Research Group Social Analysis of Security, Ghent University.
Malmö högskola, Faculty of Health and Society (HS).
2010 (English)In: International Review of Victimology, ISSN 0269-7580, E-ISSN 2047-9433, Vol. 17, no 3, p. 291-310Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

This study tested a cross-level integrated model of neighbourhood level disorder and individual level vulnerability, in relation to explaining individual differences in worry about criminal victimization1. The aim of the present study is (1) to establish if there is unique neighbourhood level variation in worry about criminal victimization, independent of neighbourhood composition, and(2) to establish the extent to which two proposed mechanisms at the individual level, prior local victimization and perceived disorder, act as mediators of a hypothesised effect of neighbourhood level disorder. Given the hierarchical structure of the research question a series of multilevel analyses based on data from a survey of more than 4,000 residents of a Swedish urban are a was performed. Findings by and large indicate that there are significant neighbourhood level differences in worry about criminal victimization and that these differences are not completely due to compositional effects. Neighbourhood disorder has effects on worry about criminal victimization, independent of the composition of neighbourhoods. The present study suggests that neighbourhood disorder has consequences for worry about criminal victimization and that prior victimization and perceived disorder are key mediators of the contextual effect of neighbourhood disorder. The implications of these findings are discussed. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Abramis Academic Publishing, 2010. Vol. 17, no 3, p. 291-310
National Category
Law and Society
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-4352DOI: 10.1177/026975801001700303ISI: 000436651900003Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-84864736362Local ID: 12287OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mau-4352DiVA, id: diva2:1401182
Available from: 2020-02-28 Created: 2020-02-28 Last updated: 2024-05-28Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. What's neighbourhood got to do with it?: the influence of neighbourhood context on crime and reactions to crime
Open this publication in new window or tab >>What's neighbourhood got to do with it?: the influence of neighbourhood context on crime and reactions to crime
2011 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

The overarching aim of this thesis is to contribute to an increased understanding of how the neighbourhood context acts to influence individual reactions to crime. The general framework is that the social and physical make-up of residential neighbourhoods influences individuals, over and above individual background characteristics. Disorder is an important neighbourhood-level factor and its presence is more or less pronounced in different neighbourhoods. It acts as a sign of a general urban unease and has potential negative consequences for the individual as well as for the community at large. Four studies have been conducted each with its own specific objective. The first study reviews the Swedish crime survey literature in order to assess the national evidence for neighbourhood effects, paying special attention to methodological issues. Overall, the current literature provides mixed evidence for neighbourhood effects. Methodological issues were identified as obstacles to drawing general conclusions and specific areas that need improvement were identified. The second study examines the origins of disorder at the neighbourhood level and the relationship between disorder and crime. Two theory-driven models of the relationship between population density, disorder, and crime are tested alongside an examination of whether these models are equally applicable to data collected in two cities, Antwerp in Belgium and Malmö in Sweden. The results found some support for direct effects of disorder on crime in both settings, independent of structural variables. Some differences between the two settings were observed suggesting that the disorder-crime link may vary by setting. To further examine the influence of neighbourhood context, the role played by neighbourhood level disorder in relation to worry about criminal victimization has been tested in a multilevel model in the third study. Overall the hypotheses of the influence of both neighbourhood level and individually perceived disorder, in shaping individual worry were supported. Individual background explains most of the variance but neighbourhood context has independent effects on worry. Individual level perceived disorder mediated the effect of neighbourhood disorder on worry suggesting that the effect of context is indirect through its effect on individual perception. The fourth study investigates whether it is possible to identify any unique neighbourhood effects on the extent to which residents apply crime preventive strategies. Initially some of the total variance in the dependent variables was found to be situated between neighbourhoods. This indicates that the neighbourhood context may influence individuals’ willingness to take crime preventive action. As expected, individual characteristics explained a majority of this between-neighbourhood variance. An important finding is that the contextual variables appear to have different effects on different activities, highlighting the need to study different actions separately.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Malmö University, Faculty of Health and Society, 2011. p. 80
Series
Malmö University Health and Society Dissertations, ISSN 1653-5383 ; 2011:4
Keywords
Multilevel, Fear of crime, Reactions to crime, Crime prevention, Sweden, Neighbourhood effects, Crime
National Category
Social Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-7304 (URN)12283 (Local ID)978-91-7104-250-7 (ISBN)12283 (Archive number)12283 (OAI)
Note

Note: The papers are not included in the fulltext online.

Available from: 2020-02-28 Created: 2020-02-28 Last updated: 2024-03-04Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

Other links

Publisher's full textScopus

Authority records

Mellgren, CarolineTorstensson Levander, Marie

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Mellgren, CarolineTorstensson Levander, Marie
By organisation
Faculty of Health and Society (HS)
In the same journal
International Review of Victimology
Law and Society

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

doi
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
urn-nbn
Total: 28 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf